


You'll be ready.

by thedarkestcurse



Category: Kirby (Video Games), kirby - Fandom
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, bandanna is there and angry, but he's still just as sweet and hungry, but it's not too graphic, crown dee is mentioned, kirbyswap au, mentor/pupil fluff, meta knight is still a little bastard, there is some implied possession, void knight is kirby's name now that he's big
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 15:56:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18641329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedarkestcurse/pseuds/thedarkestcurse
Summary: Void Knight is quite certain his pupil needs a break after all he's done to help Dream Land. After all, Meta is just a child.But instead of having that happen, Void Knight has to deal with emotions which are never funSet in a swapped!AU sometime after the defeat of Dark Matter Swordsman





	You'll be ready.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write something for this AU so I finally did! And oooh boy is it fun so far :)  
> Might write more, but let's be honest I probably won't
> 
> I do have some loose ideas for the plot though

“Slow down Meta. You’re going to choke yourself.” the knight sighed, patting the small child on the head with a single gloved hand. A smile tugged at his mouth under his mask. “It’s not going to go anywhere if you take your time.”  
  
“Mhhh!” Meta squeaked, stuffing the chocolate in his mouth faster as if to prove a point.  
  
The two of them were sitting on a red and gold blanket outside the castle, all manner of food laid out around them--mostly sweets though. Chocolates and pastries and hard candies were laid out in a colorful selection of desserts.  
  
Since it was a peaceful day today, they finally had time to relax and enjoy the pleasant weather. And, of course, eat their weight in pastries.  
If nothing went wrong, the knight mused, they might even have time to practice sword techniques. The younger puff would enjoy that.  
  
Speaking of which--Meta was a _little_ thing. Darkly-colored, unlike the other puffballs that could be seen in the farthest reaches of Dreamland. The cape tied around his back never seemed to leave his side, and when coupled by his piercing yellow eyes gave him a quite strange appearance. It didn’t help his case that his mouth was full of tiny fangs and that he stabbed his wooden sword at anything that moved.  
  
Void Knight on the other hand looked like a kindergarten teacher that had somehow gotten knighthood thrust upon them. He had a soft-edged mask with swooping gold horns peeking out of it, and an impressively pristine set of ivory-feathered wings. What little of his skin showed was a pleasant pink that matched his purplish armor. The only slightly worrying thing about him were his crimson eyes shining out of the shadows of his mask.  
  
“That is not the behavior of a dignified knight such as yourself!” Void teased, flicking Meta with the tip of his plumage.  
“It tastes better when it’s all in your mouth at once!” Meta cried after he had finally swallowed. “There’s more chocolate that way!”  
The knight shrugged, making his armor clank loudly.  
“Can’t argue with that logic.” he said, raising his mask up a slight bit to take a bite of his cake.  
  
Meta grinned at the approval, grabbing a cup of pudding off the ground next to him.  
Instead of trying to open the top he bit straight into the container, making a glob of the gloopy dessert run down his face.  
Void Knight held back a laugh, tucking his wings behind himself and taking another nibble of his food. Meta frantically was trying to get the pudding off himself before it hit the ground.  
  
It was shaping up to be another pleasant day.  
  
“HEY! WHAT’RE YOU DOING HERE!”  
Meta tensed up as the loud shriek broke through the calm atmosphere, golden eyes narrowing instinctively. He yanked the pudding container off his fangs.  
  
That awful sound had come from none other than the king, who was currently rounding the corner. He looked absolutely furious.  
  
King Bandanna was small in stature, but still taller than Meta. He wore his signature blue bandanna over his mouth with the crest of Dreamland emblazoned on its front in gold. A blue puffy crown sat lopsided on his head. He carried a rather menacing spear studded in spikes and decorated with various starry cloths and decorations. His body itself though was just a fluffy brown blob balanced precariously on his small feet.  
It was a bit difficult to take him seriously. He looked like a weaponized marshmallow.  
  
Void Knight leapt to his feet, eyes widening in alarm at the sudden appearance.  
“I’m sorry sire I thought that a nice calm picnic would be nice for--”  
  
“AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN INVITE ME!” Bandanna cried, stamping his spear on the ground. “IT’S AN OUTRAGE!”  
  
That made the knight hesitate a bit. A few pained expressions flickered over his face before he spoke again.  
“I...would you like to join us? We have enough food for all of us.”  
  
The king narrowed his eyes, adjusting his crown slightly. Meta let out a quiet hiss before tugging his cape around himself angrily. He left chocolatey pawprints on the dark fabric.  
  
“I suppose...if that annoying blue puff doesn’t sit anywhere near me.” Bandanna growled. “Little evil thing.”  
He teetered over with as much elegance as a pudgy puff could, a haughty expression on his face.  
Meta rolled his eyes, picking up his discarded pudding container and dumping the contents in his mouth. Void would normally reprimand him for being so messy around royalty, but it wasn’t like the king was any better in that regard.  
He had only been eating for a few moments and he was already as messy as Meta. His bandanna was stained a deep brown and his rosy cheeks were smeared with chocolate.  
  
The three of them ate in silence for a few minutes, appreciating the good food and warm weather. It was altogether pleasant, save for the occasional glares Meta sent towards Bandanna. It seemed their previous... _arguments_ ...hadn’t been forgotten by the small puff.  
The king was still holding his spear though, so Meta didn’t dare do anything to attack.  
  
“How is Crown Dee doing, your majesty?” Void said politely, gesturing with a single wing towards the castle.  
Meta brightened up at the mention of the Dee, turning to Bandanna with an eager smile.  
  
Crown Dee was a friend of Meta’s, and an excitable sort. He looked like a small penguin, like all the other Frosty Dees, but wore a bright red fake crown on his head. He carried a giant hammer around and acted as the king’s right-hand man most of the time. And hated Void Knight.  
  
Bandanna paused in his eating to wince a bit, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.  
“He was injured after the attack from Termina. And...he’s been avoiding me ever since he healed.” the king murmured darkly.  
Void winced as he remembered the terrifying sight of Bandanna being tugged around like a puppet by the rainbow-colored creature just a few days ago. Meta had stopped the terrifying thing in its awful quest but...there were still a few citizens hesitant to follow the rule of the previously possessed king.  
“I’m sure he’s fine though. Just...shaken up is all.” Bandanna finished blankly, setting down the pastry he had been holding. He suddenly looked a bit shaken.  
  
Meta stared at the ground dejectedly, fidgeting with the sword on his back.  
Those memories were too fresh.  
And it was hard _not_ to imagine the ruler of Dreamland as he had been, sharp rainbow petals bursting out of where his mouth would be. The... _dead_ look in his eyes as he jerked around unnaturally and forced him to fight. The haunted look on his face after the creature had left him.  
  
Void shuddered to imagine what that would have been like.  
_What it would’ve been like to have to fight against a friend being controlled like that._  
  
After a few minutes of tense silence, the king got to his feet.  
“I have things I need to do. Enjoy your meal, knight. Puffball.”  
“Sire if you want to talk about it, I’m willing to listen.” Void said, getting to his feet as well. His wings were twitching with agitation.  
Meta licked at a lollipop with a vacant expression on his face.  
  
“I don’t want to talk about it. It’s done with now. I’m going to go see if I can find Crown.” Bandanna said, voice purposefully flat and emotionless. “I don’t need your assistance.”  
“Bandanna...we’re friends. You can talk to me.” Void said quietly, taking the king’s hand into his own. “I know that whole situation messed with your head. I want to help, and I can help you find Crown. Meta and I--”  
“I said I don’t need your assistance. Enjoy your picnic. Don’t be late for your patrol.” Bandanna snapped, yanking his hand away and storming off.  
  
Void watched him leave, clasping and unclasping his hands nervously in front of himself. Even after the king had left his sight, he couldn’t seem to move.  
Finally, Meta broke the silence.  
  
“...you’re not going to let that happen to you too, are you?” the child said quietly, staring at the bright red-and-white treat in his hands.  
Void winced, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. “I don’t...I don’t plan to, no. You needn’t worry about me, Meta.”  
“But what if something gets you too! I don’t want you to get hurt like Bandanna! I…” Meta let out a hiccup as a few golden tears started to dot the corners of his eyes. “I don’t wanna fight you, Void…”  
  
The knight scooted closer to his pupil, spreading his wings until they encircled the blue puff.  
“You’ll never have to fight me. Just training and friendly duels. And we don’t even have to do those if you don’t want to. I’ll always be on your side, Meta.” Void murmured. “It’ll take more than a silly rainbow blob to make me do anything bad, okay?”  
Meta smiled slightly at that, wiping the tears out of his eyes.  
“A-are you sure? Promise?”  
  
“I promise.”  
  
“...can we train now?” the blue puff hiccuped, brushing away Void’s plumey wings with one paw.  
The knight grinned underneath his mask, giving his apprentice a small nod.  
  
“YES!” Meta cried, leaping to his feet excitedly and drawing his wooden sword. “Now? Right now? Here?”  
“We should...move away from the castle. We don’t want to worry anyone with the sounds of our duel.”  
  
He had hardly finished speaking before the other puff had run off towards the open fields away from the castle. He kicked up a trail of blossoms and grass as he ran, and colorful butterflies fled ahead of him.  
The sun illuminated the whole scene like it was a painting in a museum.  
  
Void sagged a bit as soon as the child was a considerable distance away, glancing back at the bright castle walls warily.  
His wings twitched of their own accord.  
  
Things were changing. He could feel it in the air.  
Before now, his apprentice had only faced against the king and himself in friendly duels. He had fought the things that lurked in the short grass of the fields. He had chased butterflies.  
  
But...that _thing…_  
It was a monstrosity.  
  
It had disrupted the peace of Dreamland for the first time since Void Knight had taken up his sword. That awful _thing_ had aimed straight for the kingdom, and almost won.  
Termina was a turning point, whether Popstar was ready for it or not.  
One that he wasn’t sure that Meta was going to be strong enough to face.  
  
Void smiled at the boy currently leaping through the grass, chasing after a crimson butterfly. His giggles could be heard even from across the field.  
  
He wouldn’t be able to stand beside Meta forever. He couldn’t shelter the smaller puff from the horrors of the world. There were some things that Void could never expect that could shake this kingdom to its knees.  
Things might be hopeless.  
  
But he believed in Meta.  
And maybe, that was all he needed.  
  
“Wait up, Meta!” Void Knight cried, opening his wings in a flurry of snow white feathers.  
  
Yes, Meta would be ready.  
  
When the time came, he would be able to fight off whatever was thrown at him next. And with luck…  
  
He would be ready too.


End file.
